What is the difference between Tefl, Tesl and Tesol?
Tefl stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and this generally refers to teaching English to learners living in a country where English is not widely used, such as China, Brazil or Greece. It can also be used to refer to teaching English to speakers of other languages on a course in an English-speaking country like the UK. Tesl stands for Teaching English as a Second Language and refers to teaching English in an English-speaking environment such as the UK, or in a country where English is very widely used, such as India or Zambia. Tesol stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and courses of this nature attempt to provide for the needs of all students wherever the courses are held. In practice, teachers with any one of these qualifications will be able to find posts around the world as long as their certificate is at least 150 hours by distance learning or 100 hours full time and, even more important, has been accredited by an independent professional body.
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and refers to teaching English in a country where English is not widely used, such as China, Brazil, Greece, or Saudi Arabia. TESL stands for Teaching English as a Second Language and refers to teaching English in an English-speaking environment such as the UK, or in a country where English is very widely used such as India or Zambia. TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and courses of this nature attempt to provide for the needs of all students. In practice, teachers with any one of these qualifications will be able to find posts around the world as long as their certificate has been accredited by a professional body.
TEFL means Teaching English as a Foreign Language, TESL means Teaching English as a Second Language, to adults studying in their own countries or in the UK who want to use English to travel, improve job prospects or just for a hobby. TESOL means Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. This covers a broader range of students whose primary aim is to function in the UK/an English speaking host-country where they anticipate living on a permanent basis. All can be used as general acronyms for the profession. Two TEFL qualifications are widely recognised and respected internationally. These are the Cambridge ESOL Teaching Awards: CELTA and Trinity College TESOL.
